Ford planning new centre in Ottawa for self-driving car technology

Ford is spending $338 million on a new research and development centre for self-driving car technology in Ottawa.

Dubbed the Ottawa Research and Engineering Centre, the automotive giant says it's expected to bring nearly 300 high-skill jobs to Ottawa. The centre will have satellite campuses in Oakville and Waterloo.

"The centre will focus on research and development across infotainment, in-vehicle modems, gateway modules, driver-assist features and autonomous vehicles," a news release from the province said.

The news was part of a larger $1.2-billion announcement in Windsor on Thursday morning, including $102 million each from the provincial and federal governments.

It's the latest development in Ottawa's emergence as a hub for autonomous car technology. In December, Blackberry announced it would add 650 jobs to its Ottawa location, Blackberry QNX. QNX software is already in millions of Ford cars.

And last month, Mayor Jim Watson led a group of business leaders to Queen's Park to lobby for Ottawa as a hub for self-driving car technology.